Exciting Lessons Learned at the 2025 Gap Year Abroad Virtual Fair
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The 2025 CIEE Virtual Fair brought together students from across the country who are curious about taking a gap year abroad. From scholarships and program options to what day-to-day life looks like overseas, the Fair gave students a clear, honest peek at how a gap year can support independence, growth, and future goals.
Let’s take a look at the most popular sessions on Gap Year Abroad programs.
Couldn’t make it live or want to watch a different session? All Virtual Fair recordings are available on CIEE’s YouTube channel.
Highlights from This Year’s CIEE Gap Year Virtual Fair
Students made up the majority of this year’s record-breaking 1,274 Fair attendees. The sessions averaged more than 50 attendees, and the most-viewed focused on scholarships and programs in Japan—highlighting strong interest in gap year experiences that blend cultural immersion with structure and support.
Most Popular Gap Year Sessions from the Virtual Fair
Taking a gap year abroad can offer benefits that are hard to replicate in a traditional academic path. Gap year programs for students build independence, develop practical life skills, gain confidence navigating unfamiliar environments, and return to school with a stronger sense of purpose. Many students use a gap year to clarify academic interests, explore future career paths, and recharge after high school before starting college with renewed focus.
Students exploring gap year options tuned into 2025’s Virtual Fair for these three standout sessions: “How to Write a Great Scholarship Essay,” “Where Are They Now? CIEE Alumni 5+ Years Later,” and “How Long-Term Study Abroad Helps You Stand Out.” We recap what they learned below.
How to Write a Great Scholarship Essay
Did you know that CIEE offers $7 million in scholarships each year? This session broke down how scholarship applications are evaluated, encouraging them to approach it without stress or second-guessing.
Key takeaways:
- Start early so you have time to think, revise, and reflect
- Focus on your story, not “perfect” writing
- Be specific about why you want a gap year and what you hope to gain
- Show curiosity, motivation, and openness to growth
- Ask for feedback, but keep your voice your own
Watch the Scholarship Essay session here →
Where Are They Now? CIEE Alumni 5+ Years Later
This alumni-led Q&A session gave students a view of the long-term benefits of taking an international gap year, even years after the program ends. Former CIEE participants reflected on how their experiences shaped college choices, careers, and confidence over time. As one alum shared, “My study abroad experience was one of those fundamental experiences that helped me get to where I am today.”
What students learned during the Q&A:
- How gap year experiences can influence college majors and academic direction
- Why early international experiences help build independence and confidence
- Ways language immersion continues to shape opportunities years later
- How global skills carry into a wide range of careers and industries
- Why alumni often credit study abroad with long-term personal and professional growth
Watch the full “Where Are They Now?” alumni session here →
How Long-Term Study Abroad Helps You Stand Out
This session gave students a clear, practical overview of longer-term options for study abroad—with a strong focus on a pre-college gap year—and what those experiences can do for your future (college, work, and confidence). It also included a live Q&A where common student questions came up around academics, daily life abroad, and what it’s like to return home afterward.
What the session covered:
- Gap Year Abroad basics: what these programs look like, how long you can go (semester or year), and what’s typically included (housing, tuition, weekly cultural activities, excursions, and on-site support).
- Program paths after graduation: a quick comparison of CIEE Gap Year Abroad vs College First Year Abroad, so you can decide whether you want a “pause-and-explore” year or to start earning credits while abroad.
- Why it helps you stand out: how gap year experiences can strengthen your story for college applications and interviews by showing independence, initiative, adaptability, and real-world perspective.
- Skills you actually build: language growth, confidence navigating new places, communication, time management, and problem-solving—plus “adulting” skills many people don’t get until later.
- Real-life logistics students ask about: curfews and house rules, homework expectations, how structure differs by location/host family, and how to talk with your school counselor early so timing and credits don’t come as a surprise.
- Coming home after being abroad: what reverse culture shock can feel like, how routines change, and how some students use their return as a springboard for bigger plans (like committing to a gap year after graduation).
Want to Explore More?
If the Fair sparked ideas about taking a gap year abroad, this is the perfect moment to keep exploring. Learn more about different destinations, understand how gap year programs are structured, and connect with the CIEE team to talk through what a year abroad could look like for you.
Next Steps: Start Planning Your Gap Year Abroad
Whether you’re seriously considering a gap year or just starting to imagine life beyond high school, we hope these sessions helped you see what’s possible. If you’re ready to take the next step, start exploring CIEE Gap Year Abroad programs and find an experience that matches your goals, interests, and sense of adventure.
Explore CIEE Gap Year Abroad programs and start planning what’s next →